Utah Jazz: Keeping Lauri Markkanen
With a strong top of the 2025 NBA Draft, it was only fair to give the Utah Jazz this season to tank in hopes of landing one of the potential generational talents that were going to headline this draft class. However, at the NBA Draft Lottery, the Jazz ended up being big losers. They fell outside the top 4, and will now have to hit big on a player no one is expecting to emerge as a star player right away.
Short of one of the top four prospects falling to No. 5, the Jazz is going to have a tall task in emerging as a better team next season. Because of that, I believe it's only fair for Utah to be honest with Lauri Markkanen. They can't quickly build around him, and unless he's willing to burn his prime years in Utah, it's probably best that the Jazz trade him. A big mistake for the Jazz this summer includes dragging Markkanen along for another irrelevant season.
Washington Wizards: Not being active in the trade market
The Washington Wizards were one of the other big losers at the NBA Draft Lottery, falling outside the top 5. After finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA, the Wizards will be selected No. 6 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. They'll still likely be able to get a good player, but the chances of them finding a foundational piece at this point in the top 10 are quite low. Because of that, it's probably time for the Wizards to work in to trade market to tear this roster down even more.
If players like Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart, and perhaps even Khris Middleton aren't traded this summer, that means something went wrong for the front office. The Wizards should be quite active in the trade market this offseason, and if they aren't, I'd say they're making quite a big mistake heading into next season.